Ministry of Textiles
Union MoS  bats for export of Manipur’s handloom and handicraft products
Union Minister of State for Textiles Darshana Vikram Jardosh on Tuesday said that Manipur should focus on exporting its famous handloom and handicraft products.
Addressing after inauguration of exhibition cum launching of awareness under National Handloom and Handicraft Development Programme here in Imphal" City Convention today, the Union minister said that even as Manipur has the highest concentration of weavers among the states of the country, most of its handloom and handicraft products appeared to be for home consumption.
As handloom and handicraft products of the state have high demand not only in other parts of the country but also in other parts of the globe, there is the need for large scale production for marketing outside the state.
“Manipur needs to focus on large scale production of its handloom and handicraft products,” she said, while asserting that it will not only help increase the income of the people engaged in the fields but also generate employment as well,” she said.
The state may be focused on the export of the three handloom products which had already got the GI tags as these products have high demand outside the state, the Union minister said.
The production scale can be pushed up by using modern machines and techniques. Weavers can avail the benefits of buying the machines and equipment at low cost from the various schemes being implemented by the Central government, the minister said.
Darshana informed that Centre’s ‘One District, One Products’ was launched with an objective for expansion of the market for the weavers and artisans to different parts of the country and target for exports.
The weavers and artisans of the state should avail the benefits of the various schemes under this project to widen the production scope, she said.
The designs and finishing of the handlooms produced by the weavers of the state are of excellent quality and it will be liked by customers across the country and other parts of the globe, she said.
She urged the weavers and artisans to avail the benefits of such schemes and programmes of the government to widen their scope and further enhance their products to promote at the larger platform.
She further urged the weavers and artisans to consult with officials and experts of the concerned department and ministry to enhance the scope of production.
State textiles, commerce & industry minister Nemcha Kipgen, chairman of Manipur Handloom & Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd Kh Ibomcha, MLA Th Shanti Singh also attended the programme.
Addressing the occasion, state textile and industries minister Nemcha Kipgen highlighted various initiatives taken up by the state government for the welfare and development of the weavers and artisans of the state.
She said that as many as 21 projects and one Mega Handloom Cluster project are being implemented in the state under the National Handloom Development Programme .
She informed that the state has the highest concentration of handloom weavers in the country with 2.12 lakh handloom weavers and 2.11 lakh looms as per the report of 4th National Handloom Census Report 2019.
The Union minister along with other dignitaries also visited the exhibition stalls. They also distributed PEHCHAN cards and tools to some selected weavers and artisans on the occasion.